The Soul Sepulchre Chapter 20: Masters' Bind, a danny phantom fanfic

Hiya!

Yes, another inexcusably long wait… 2010 has not been a good year for writing … But anyway! I won't take up story space with overlong explanations; we all have moments when life breaks done our door for a forced intervention, don't we? ^.^'

So! Wow… chapter 20! To celebrate, let's start it off with a lame chess pun, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, a fact for which Danny is probably eternally grateful X3

Enjoy!

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The Soul Sepulcher

-By Sholay

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Chapter 20 — Masters' Bind

'Just shoot him!'

Valerie stood in the grand foyer of Vlad Masters' mansion, trying to boost herself up and make herself feel bigger even as the large empty space pushed in around her. Her ecto-gun was level with the head of the man whose face had been haunting her for the past month.

Vlad Masters

Vlad Plasmius.

Her benefactor and friend… who also happened to be an evil, psychotic ghost.

'Shoot him!'

'I can't!' She yelled back in her head. 'What about Sam and Tucker? Danny said a ghost—'

'This guy is pure evil. Fat chance of getting anything out of him that's not a blatant lie. Just shoot him and then you can hunt down Phantom and beat some answers out of him.'

'Phantom is too unpredictable. I can never find him when I want to…'

Valerie simply couldn't bring herself to shoot. Masters, with his silvering hair, long face and fancy custom made suit looked much too alive… too human.

'You saw him appear out of nothing!'

Trick of the light?

'He turned into a blue, vampire-fanged ghost!'

"Problems, Miss Gray? You seem a little confused." Vlad's smug voice, coupled with the sneer twisting his thin lips set Valerie's teeth on edge. And still, she didn't fire. Her trigger hand began to tremble and she had to bring up her bad arm to steady the barrel of the gun.

"What is this? No threats, no outrageous demands? I thought you came to talk, Miss Gray, so where is your tongue? ...Oh of course," Vlad effused a short, closed-mouthed chuckle. "You thought you would simply barge in here, threaten me with my own weapons, and—what? Catch me unaware? My, my, I am disappointed. I didn't expect such lack of foresight, from you especially, dear girl." The man raised a condescending eyebrow and Valerie jerked with realization.

"How did you know—?" She began, but Vlad waved her question away.

"—That you had seen me transform?" He finished with an airy gesture. "Is it so hard to believe? I am the man who supplied you with a small fortune in ghost hunting and espionage gear out of the pure generosity of my heart. Did you really think I wouldn't show equal, if not exceeding, attention to my own house?"

"You saw me on tape." Valerie realized.

Vlad put his hands together in a mocking applause, "Very good! Excellent skills of deduction." He jeered.

Through the red visor of her battle suit, Valerie stared at Vlad. The hooded look he was giving her, and his eerily calm stance, made the hair rise on the back of her neck. How could she have never noticed how evil he looked? "What are you?" She breathed.

The man's mouth stretched in a toothy grin. "Now, now, I can't give you all the answers, can I, Valerie?"

She barely registered his use of her given name, the significance of that drop in formality passing right over her head.

"You're Masters, but you're also that evil Wisconsin ghost!" She accused.

In spite of the fact that Vlad had already all but told her he was a ghost, Valerie was still inexplicably expecting him to deny it, or at least tell her she was insane. A man and a ghost? What madness was that? But Vlad did not deny, did not even attempt to refute the statement.

With a flourish, Vlad swept an arm out—quick enough that Valerie jolted up the drooping tip of tip her gun—and tilted his head in a mocking bow. "Vlad Plasmius, at your service. Though I had thought you would have approached me long before now. It has been more than a month. What took you so long to confront me, girl? Surely you weren't scared?" That insufferable smirk was back.

Valerie flushed. "Me? Ha, you wish!" She spat. "For your information, I've been busy! The world doesn't revolve around you, you know." Her mind was whirling. She knew for sure now. Sure, she had seen the transformation, but to actually hear him admit it…

God, she had not expected him to admit it.

Vlad looked vaguely dubious; almost as though he were ready to dispute her and argue that the world did, in fact, revolve around him. But, instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and turned his head away. His eyes focused on a gold-framed painting on a nearby wall. It was a six-foot tall monster depicting a man, likely one of Vlad's ancestors, atop a rearing warhorse. "You aren't one to scare easily," Vlad reflected, "that, at least, is true. It is also precisely the reason I chose you for my little project in the very beginning." His eyes came back to her, their cold intensity piercing her even through her visor. He stepped forward, began a slow stride around her.

Valerie scowled as she had to adjust her aim and turn with the man. Why wasn't she shooting already? What was she waiting for?

Once Vlad had completed a half circle he stopped, standing in such a way that he was between Valerie and the entrance door.

If Vlad thought a little move like that was going to intimidate her—Amity Park's best ghost hunter—then he was sorely mistaken.

"But your work for the past month has been less than exemplary. What is your excuse for this? You were busy? Yes, perhaps that sprained arm causes you some discomfort; but I believe the answer is a little closer to home. Family troubles, maybe?" These words, uttered in Vlad's soft baritone, made Valerie go rigid.

"Ah yes," Vlad drawled, "your father: such a conscientious man, very protective. I heard that he, out of concern for your rather unorthodox extra curricular activities, tried to find a doctor to surgically remove the ghost hunting suit that seems to have become one with your very constitution."

Valerie was quiet, but her silence spoke for itself.

"He failed, of course. And somehow you managed to convince him to let you keep hunting. That, or you've become better at sneaking around him. Congratulations. But speaking of your ghost hunting suit…" Vlad closed some of the space between them. Completely disregarding Valerie's warning cry and her raised gun, he peered at her suit with obvious interest. "A remarkable specimen. It comes and goes at will, no? Supplied by a ghost… Technus, no doubt. Hightened senses, increased stamina and metabolism…"

Vlad murmured some more words to himself, but all Valerie was able to pick up on was the word "nanobots".

She had no idea what the unstable man was babbling about, but she'd had enough of it.

"I didn't come here to be your test subject!" She barked, backing up a few paces and raising her gun with renewed vigour. "I don't know what you are and I don't care. All I know is that right now you and Phantom are the only ghosts in all of Amity Park. And, since I can't find Phantom, you're the one I'm going to get information out of, whether you like it or not!" She punctuated her point by revving up her weapon, which began glowing an ominous red.

"Oh?" Far from being intimidated, Vlad actually looked bored as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Valerie, you could never hope to defeat me; your threats are as flimsy as your hold on that gun. Why don't you use that fantastic ghost tracker on your suit and bring your questions to Danny Phantom." Here, the man bared his teeth in a very strange looking grin. "You two get along so famously after all."

"He and I aren't exactly on speaking terms." She bit out.

Vlad looked amused.

"Enough!" Valerie burst out. "Enough of your stupid word games. This is not why I came here! I don't know why you first gave me ghost weapons. I don't know how you can wear the face of a human and I don't even want to know what's going on between you and Phantom. But you will tell me where Sam and Tucker are!" Her ecto-gun fired with a loud discharge. The shot was true and it vaporized the face of Vlad's ancestor—carving a hole in the same painting Vlad had been examining moments before.

"You will tell me," Valerie hissed, "or I swear this next shot will go through your head."

At some point during her speech, Vlad's eyes had narrowed and he was now regarding her with an odd expression. He didn't even seem to notice the smoking crater in his wall.

"Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley?" he clarified. "Daniel Fenton's friends?"

There was something in the way that he said Danny's name that had Valerie frowning. "You know Danny?" She asked, digressing without even realizing it.

Vlad's expression turned crafty. He smiled. "Maddie… and Jack Fenton are old friends of mine. I am like a father to Daniel." The smile morphed into a feral grin.

Valerie bit back the urge to tell Vlad to stay away from her ex-boyfriend. Informing Masters of the relationship between her and Danny would only put her friend in greater danger. She didn't quite manage to stop her next comment though. "You can't possibly know him that well if you don't know that he hates being called Daniel."

"Oh… I am well aware." Again, he flashed that strange grin, but it quickly vanished as he levelled a serious look on Valerie. "Samantha and Tucker have been kidnapped, you say?"

"Yes!" Valerie snapped, irritated that it was Vlad and not her who had brought the conversation back to its point. "And I know it's you ghosts' fault. Yours and Phantom's. And you're probably the reason Danny's been acting weird too."

"Hmm. Fascinating." Vlad rested one hand under his nose, thoughtfully. He turned away from Valerie.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me, ghost!" Valerie cried out, peeved. "I want some answers!" Almost unconsciously, her hoverboard came into existence under her feet and she sped around to face Vlad straight on. "Where are Sam and Tucker?"

In an effort to show that she was being serious, Valerie fired off a shot in the man's direction. She aimed it to just singe the shoulder of his expensive suit, but was taken aback when a glowing pink shield materialized out of nothing in front of Vlad. Her shot exploded harmlessly on contact, and Vlad waved a hand idly, dismissing the shield.

Vlad sighed—sighed—in her face. "Valerie, you have been useful but your constant belligerence is beginning to edge on my nerves." He slipped one spidery hand into his jacket pocket.

"What are you—" Without warning, a sharp jolt of electricity shot through her body. Valerie screamed, dropping the gun in her hand and clawing at the suit which seemed to be electrocuting her from within. The hoverboard disappeared from under her feet. Her legs didn't even try to hold up her body, folding like jelly and causing her to land painfully on her sprained arm.

In a second it was all over, Valerie knew no more as she passed into unconsciousness. Her suit disappeared with her consciousness, folding in on itself and dissipating right into her skin.

Vlad's thumb released the button on the minute remote in his hand. He spared the girl on the ground the barest glance of disdain.

"Who did you think provided Technus with the technology to create your suit? Impetuous child. You're lucky I still have use for you." He said lowly.

Just then, a blinking light caught Vlad's attention. A small red bulb was flashing enthusiastically on the security panel set up near the entrance. The LED was next to a label that read 'Secret Underground Lab' in a flawless copperplate hand.

Vlad visibly lit up at this. A grin of delight, very unlike the mocking sneers he'd favoured on Valerie just moments ago, grew across his face.

"Not a moment too soon! Come Maddie," He beckoned the fat cat who had been lounging on a nearby couch. The animal gladly leapt into the man's arms. "Let's go welcome young Daniel."

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As Danny came back to his senses, he realized two things. One, the fingers of his right hand were curled around something smooth and hard. And two, he was floating and the sky was green.

"Whoa!" Instinctually reaching down to push himself to his feet, Danny yelped when his hands met nothing but air and he tilted on an axis, tumbling forward in a slow summersault.

He came out of the roll pale-faced and clutching at his stomach. "Urgh…" Cringing, Danny waited for the nausea to pass before fully opening bright blue eyes and looking around.

'Huh? Wha—'m floating? Green? Ghost Zone?' The teen sorted through his scattered thoughts as he tried to remember the last thing that had happened to him. He remembered being in Walker's prison, finding the Lunch Lady and then…

'Oh… that's right. The white light.' Without even thinking about it, Danny pulled up his legs and effectively crossed his legs in mid-air. He floated stagnantly.

Putting a hand over his mouth, Danny squinted his eyes and thought. 'I dunno where that light came from, but the Lunch Lady and her daughter… They disappeared…' It was more than simply 'disappeared', though. The manner in which the two ghosts had departed had been very…

Final.

'Where they even ghosts? Ghosts are made of ectoplasm. They're obsessive, bound to Earth. That girl, Abigail, she was... cleaner.' No, that wasn't the right word. 'Peaceful? Innocent?' Another thought occurred to him. 'Is that the last time I'll ever see the Lunch Lady?' His eyes widened, head rising up.

'I never even knew her name…' Danny thought sadly. 'But… her last words! She said—'

Cutting himself off, Danny abruptly remembered the smooth object in his left hand. Curling into himself, Danny brought his hand before his eyes and slowly opened his fist.

A gasp lodged in his throat. He stared at the object, thoroughly enraptured.

The object in his hand was a stone identical to the one Clockwork had traded with Legion for the lives of his friends. But though Danny had felt a pull to the crystal then, that was nothing compared to the sensation of actually holding it in his hands.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Perfectly spherical, it fit neatly in the palm of his hand. Infinite colours refracted from the crystal like from a multifaceted jewel, yet the stone didn't require light to produce its iridescence. It was like there existed a light within the stone, a multicoloured flame that swirled and danced of its own accord.

Yet that was simply the physical appearance of the stone. Danny couldn't find words to explain it, but the stone made him feel light.

It was inherently difficult to look at: Danny felt somehow that he was intruding on something personal and private by staring at the stone. But at the same time, the crystal drew him in; it pulled at his heart; it gave him the will to—

"WAA!" Quite unintentionally, Danny had lit his hands with the green fire of his ghostly half. The ectoplasm had encased the stone and, in a blinding burst of light and energy, exploded outward with enough ferocity to send Danny careening backward in the air, pin-wheeling wildly as he tumbled head-over-heels.

Even after the teen had again regained control of himself in mid-air, he was still blinking colourful spots out of his vision. That blast had been so powerful and yet he—

'I'm in my human form, right?' Danny checked himself over: black hair, pale skin, t-shirt, jeans. Yup, definitely human. 'But… That was way too strong an ectoblast for my human form. Heck, it was strong even for my ghost form.'

Danny looked at the stone in his hands in amazement.

"Did you do that?" He asked the stone, holding it up to one eye so he could better examine the dancing lights within.

Take good care of my heart…

The Lunch Lady's last words echoed in Danny's head and his expression turned troubled.

'This… is it the Lunch Lady's heart?' If that were true, then…

Then what Legion wanted…

Danny drew in a hissing breath of air between clenched teeth.

There was no way he could let Legion get its paws on this crystal. No way.

'Sam and Tucker?'

There had to be another way to save them.

There had to.

With a flash of light and swirling rings, Danny had turned ghost and sped off through the Ghost Zone.

The Ghost Portal closed with a smooth 'shhick' behind Danny as he stepped cautiously into Vlad's lab.

The room was lit: bright fluorescent bulbs expunged every shadow in the place, leaving Danny feeling unbearably exposed and vulnerable.

Shaking off the feeling that he was being watched, Danny clenched his fists and was about to shoot upward through the ceiling when the fuzzing sound of white noise came from somewhere to his left.

"Daniel, my boy." Danny jumped at least a foot into the air as Vlad's voice crackled though the intercom set into the wall near the Ghost Portal. "Please be kind enough to join us in the foyer."

'How did he know I was here?' Danny panicked, then mentally slapped himself for his stupidity. 'Of course he knows, he's Vlad.' His palm dragged down over his face; then one eyebrow rose. 'Wait… 'us'?' And it was with that thought that Danny knew he wouldn't be able to risk ignoring Vlad and just blasting out of the elder halfa's house. If Vlad had Jazz…

The feeling of something hard digging into his tightening fist reminded Danny that he was still holding the crystal.

'Aw, man…' He searched fruitlessly for somewhere to keep the stone, but the HAZMAT suit of his ghost form had no pockets. And there was no way Danny was facing Vlad in his human form. He didn't even have a Fenton Thermos on him. No, he'd have to hold it. And hope Vlad never noticed it.

'Yeah, good luck with that.'

"Hurry up Daniel. I am not feeling especially patient today."

"Not feeling especially patient today." Danny mocked under his breath. The half-ghost jumped into the air, letting his feet mist into a spectral tail before turning intangible and shifting through the ceiling. "Pompous, ego-inflated…"

'Wait… what room is the foyer?'

Luckily, Danny didn't have to search too hard: he easily spotted Vlad's unmistakable fit-for-a-funeral suit in the entrance hall. It was only as he came closer that he saw Valerie unconscious on the floor.

"What did you do to her Plasmius?" Shifting back to tangibility and visibility, Danny dropped to the ground near Valerie's prone form and quickly knelt. He put a hand on her cheek, turning her face toward himself as he checked for a pulse. A sigh of relief left him when he found a steady heartbeat. Looking closer, Valerie didn't seem to have any bruises and cuts. She wasn't in her battlesuit, though.

"Relax, Daniel, she merely got a little shock. A little rest and she'll be back to her imperious self in no time." Vlad's tone was entirely too nonchalant and it made Danny bristle.

They locked gazes. Their height difference was exacerbated by Danny's kneeling position, but the young teen more than met the elder's stare. Danny's glare was nearly frigid in its intensity. On the other hand, Vlad was uncannily calm as he studied Danny's expression. The man's spindly fingers stroked the fur of the cat in his arms.

"If she's hurt, Plasmius, I swear…" Pointing a finger at Vlad, Danny bared his teeth in an unmistakable threat.

"Don't you listen, boy? I just told you she is perfectly all right. Besides, now is not exactly the time to be picking a fight with me, is it? I heard that your friends are missing."

"Sam and Tucker?" Danny forgot his rage for confusion. "How do you—"

Vlad merely gestured in Valerie's direction. "She came here with the misguided notion that she could blackmail me into telling her where your two friends are."

"Blackmail?" Danny echoed. His face scrunched in puzzlement. "What, did she find out how you appropriate the funds for all your ghost hunting equipment?" He asked. His question was largely sarcastic; after all, if Valerie hadn't figured out Vlad's slimy side after nearly a year…

"Close, Daniel." Vlad acknowledged, looking mildly impressed. "Very close, in fact."

Danny's mind clicked and he found his jaw dropping. "You're kidding me." Pushing off one knee, he found his feet and faced Vlad fully. "You've got to be kidding me. She knows?"

"Congratulations, son, you can use your brain when prompted." Vlad nodded approvingly, ignoring Danny's annoyed eye-roll. "But I would not say that she knows what I am. Rather, she knows I'm Plasmius and rationalizes the concept by viewing me as all-ghost. Much as she rationalized Danielle as a human girl with special abilities. Humans, Daniel, are surprisingly inflexible, and surprisingly imaginative in their inflexibility.

"You can relax." Vlad added, seeing that Danny was still tense. "She doesn't suspect you in the least."

And Danny did relax at that. At some point, his feet had left the floor in his agitation and he landed back on the stained hardwood. Turning to Valerie, Danny eyed Vlad uneasily out of the corner of one eye as he bent to pick up the hunter.

"Ok. I'll just… take her out of your hair then." He said warily.

Vlad suddenly grinned, and Danny's heart dropped.

"Oh just one more thing, my boy. This is the second time you've trespassed on my property and utilized my Ghost Portal without my permission. Now I understand your lack of manners is no doubt due to your idiot father's upbringing, but I will expect more courteous behaviour from you in the future. Is that clear, little badger?"

'Did Vlad just ask me to say 'please' and 'thank you'?' Deciding to ignore the weirdness of that request, Danny instead focused on the jibe at his father. His eyes flashed with anger.

"I'm outta here, Vlad." Danny said shortly. Slinging Valerie over one shoulder as gently as he could, he turned to leave.

A black pulse of light was all the warning Danny had before Vlad—in full ghost form: new, billowing cape and all—materialized directly in front of him. Danny opened his mouth but before he could get out so much as a word Vlad did something he never saw coming. Pinning Danny with a severe expression, Vlad raised his hand and harshly backhanded the boy to the ground.

Danny somehow managed to keep Valerie from hitting her head, but wasn't so himself lucky as he hit the floor hard. Laying Valerie back down, he propped himself up on one elbow, putting a hand to his stinging cheek. His expression started off as shocked but was gradually being eaten away by outrage.

Furious anger rose hot and red within his chest and Danny snarled.

But before he could retaliate, Vlad had him by the collar, pulling him off his feet until the two half ghosts were practically nose-to-nose.

"Now, you listen here, Daniel. Outside of this house I will tolerate your impudence, your rude behaviour and even your immaturity. But when you are in my home you will adhere to my rules. You will respect my property and my rights. If you want to use something of mine you will ask. Is that clear?" Vlad's red eyes narrowed warningly.

"Oh, like you respected my parents when you stole their inventions?" Danny quipped fiercely. An enraged look crossed Vlad's face, but Danny had already brought his feet up. Grasping the elder half ghost's forearms, Danny threw himself backward, letting the heel of his right foot connect solidly with Vlad's chin as he back-flipped out of the man's hold.

Landing in a deep crouch, Danny looked up just in time to see Vlad fire off a set of ectobeams at his head.

Danny didn't think, he just raised his arms and blocked.

His ectoplasmic shield snapped into existence around him, but in raising his arms he'd given Vlad a glimpse at the shimmering object in his left hand.

"Daniel, what is that in your hand?"

Danny backpedalled, shoving his left hand behind his back as he tried to reach Valerie. But Vlad wasn't going to let the teen get away that easily. Four towering clones surrounded Danny, each with two raised handfuls of crackling pink ectoplasm.

Danny eyed the duplicates nervously. Plasmius was a serious threat even on one of Danny's best days. He still lost more fights against the elder halfa than he won, and right now Danny wasn't in the mood to test his luck.

'Let me face him.'

Danny visibly winced as this odd thought stabbed through his mind, scattering his thoughts.

'No.' Danny hoped he was simply having some weird internal conflict; this was no time to develop a split personality.

Unfortunately, the stray thought had distracted Danny long enough for Vlad to approach and grab his left wrist.

"No!" Danny cried. Grasping Vlad's wrist with his free hand, he pulled and struggled under the man's hold.

"Daniel this is no time to play the damaged hero. I am trying to help you!" Vlad said, and he sucked in a loud breath as he pried Danny's fingers apart enough to get a clear look at the iridescent sphere in the teen's hand.

But too many warning bells were going off in Danny's head. He could not, would not, let Vlad get his hands on the stone. He wouldn't!

The ectoblast Danny produced in his left hand was barely one of his weakest manifestations. Yet, just like before, the stone seemed to gather the energy and amplify it.

BOOM

The blinding flash of light and resulting explosion sent them both flying across the room, Danny recovering only minutely faster than Vlad. He dove for Valerie's unconscious figure, gathered her in his arms and bolted hell-for-leather out of the house before Plasmius could fully gather his wits and come after them.

In Danny's panicked flight, he never paused look back, and thus didn't realize that Vlad wasn't even attempting to make chase.

Vlad Masters, human, stood in the wreckage of his battered foyer. Maddie the cat trembled under a toppled couch; he paid her no mind.

"So it's true." Thin fingers dusted off an immaculate suit blazer. "Interesting."

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End Chapter 20

To Be Continued…

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Did anyone catch the 'Livin' Large' reference? Heh, I admit I'd forgotten about the portal in that episode, but… eh, maybe Vlad remodelled? XD

So sorry to everyone who wanted Vlad to get beaten up (I know I kinda did ^.^'). That man's got back-up plans for his back-up plans.

To you reviewers, thanks as always! TitanQueen13, meranii-chan, Princess of Rose, PhantomMouse1115, love-toushi, Kirby77DP77, Felicity, Flashx11, LammySelfCJ, BrokenBloodDrops, Nylah, cyanbilbo, TexasDreamer01, ravenway146, PsychoticNari, sciencefreak330, chalicity, Thunderstorm101, Iaveina and PhantomBrat.

Adio!